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The Tenant from Staddle by Larner	10 Review(s)
Linda Hoyland	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/20/2008
I like the idea of the Hobbits having china marks ! You explain the land situation in Arnor well. Author Reply: Identifying work as your own is as ancient as mankind itself; and I'm CERTAIN that the Hobbits would have been as vulnerable to that vanity as any potters in Britain or the States. And now the Hedges have a better appreciation for how this property actually came into Frodo's possession. Glad you approve.

Kitty	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/19/2008
Very interesting to watch them explore the smial and puzzle out what has been there before, as I am interested in archaeology myself. (The last book I was reading was about the beginnings of archaeology in famous excavation places like Troy, Machu Picchu, Mohenjo Daro ...) I want to be there, too! To explore a place once belonging to the Royal family would be exciting. My first thought about this cursed stone was to ask the elves for help, too. And considering how long they have been around, there may even be some who knew the people living there and the place itself. Hm – do you know you have opened another can of worms? Now I want to know more about this former fortress! And now we have a wedding to look forward, too :-) Author Reply: My mother got me interested in archaeology, and I have many books on the subject. I've also read almost all of Rosemary Sutcliff's books, and particularly loved her stories about Bronze Age and Roman era Britain. Between her works, my interest in Richard III sparked by Josephine Tey's "Daughter of Time," and Gerald Durrell's works on animal collecting, I have developed a great love of England's great, concentrated history. Walking atop Hadrian's wall and being buzzed by the RAF practicing low-level maneuvers has to be among the most memorable experiences in my life! And I love examining diagrams of the fortresses the Romans built. I suspect that the Elves will be likely to assist in dealing with the stone, and perhaps the ancient camping site for those who besieged the fortress. And I can see that any number of nuzguls and plot bunnies have now been set loose. And there is the wedding to anticipate now. Thanks so much for the feedback.

Lynn H	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
One general comment - this is one of my favorite stories and I am always pleased when you have a new chapter up! I don't know if you can see that I have it marked for alerts so I don't miss anything! Specific thought - DON'T put the kitchen garden over the septic drainfield! Not even a good idea to put cutting flowers there, or let animals graze it. You see, gardens, particularly root plants (radishes, carrots, taters), will take up germs as well as water and fertilizer organics. Even some parasite eggs can survive a simple drainage system, working up through worked soil onto leaves. In times of drought the uptake of contaminated water will be worse. You can get sick this way! Also cover the field with broken stones and plant it with something itchy like Fiscus so the kids don't play there. It IS OK to have a separate drainfield for "grey' water, the kitchen wastewater. It's fine to use that for gardens. Since they have a ridge to build on, make sure the septic field drains down the opposite side from the springs and wells, too. There have been some cases of typhus and cholera from contaminated wells. Lynn H Author Reply: Thanks for keeping me honest, Lynn. I'd not thought on that consideration, although I DO know to keep drainfields and wells WELL separated--I live on a property with both--we have one of the sandhill filters for the water from the septic tank. The property I grew up on had a rather marshy area into which the drain field worked, so we tended not to play there; and as there were other swamps and ponds that were more amenable for the ducks even they avoided it. Thanks for the feedback and the information.

harrowcat	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
Great details Larner. I'm a bit of an avid archaeology fan - at least when it comes to tv shows like Time Team. And then, coming from Warwick makes me feel even more at home with old things! The minute you mentioned a round tower with an upper room my head was screaming 'palantir viewing room'! Am I totally off beam? And another wedding - yeh! Author Reply: Having been through Warwick Castle several times (my roses are decidedly white, and I've climbed both George's and Richard's towers multiple times and have a book on Richard's Book of Hours, even--Josephine Tey's "Daughter of Time," anyone?), so that came to mind as I wrote this, although I was thinking more on Roman-era fortresses I've seen. A palantir viewing room? Always possible, although the that might have added to the fights between Rhudaur and Cardolan regarding the one at Amon Sul, I'd think. I'll have to think about that one. And, yes, a wedding coming up.

Soledad	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
Yay! Update! rubs hands gleefully I have the feeling that the Hedges'home hides some deep secret. I hope we'll learn a great deal about the ancient fortress and its siege yet. And a wedding? Great! I'm sure Carnation will enjoy to preside over all the preparations... Author Reply: Who knows what this ridge has seen in the past? And I might indeed write a bit about the ridge--but then, you never know. As for Carnation presiding over the preparations--I suspect she wouldn't allow anyone else to make the preparations at all! Heh!

Antane	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
“Yes,” Teo said as he removed his own cloak, and they could see the surcoat he wore under it. “This was his, it was. Left it in Bree--said as he didn’t wish t’appear more differnt’n him already was, once he got home. I won’t be able to wear’t much longer, though--am startin’ t’grow again. Too bad--it’s right beautiful, it is.” Oh, you're different all right, darling, but in a very beautiful way which I hope you grew to understand. Namarie, God bless, Antane :) Author Reply: Ah, to have the love of a Hobbit at heart! Yes, he was different indeed, a fact he could only fully appreciate fully when he left Middle Earth.

Tigger	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
What a lovely surprise to find today. I do love this story and have come to admire the Hedges very much. It's never easy to start over, but w/what they've had to cope w/, even more so. Regardless if it's a Hobbit or child of Men, when forbidden by their parents to go somewhere it's not safe, their curiosity just gets even more intense. :oD I did like Tergi's promise to Teo and they included Lilia in it. Not only will they be keeping their word, but they won't want to go and not have Tergi w/them. A nice way of having everyone keep their respective promises. :o) It sounds like it was quite the Royal Retreat in it's day. How much of it was based on a Tudor Manor House? It just seems the layout fits the descripitions of Elizabeth I's Hatfield. W/out the Watchtower though. Very much enjoying this. Looking forward to the next chapter. :o) Author Reply: Actually, the details are somewhat based on a Roman-era fortress along Hadrian's Wall, although it could as easily have been a Tudor manor house (although the Tudors are NOT my favorite royal family--my roses are DECIDEDLY white). That the Hobbits would find a way of making a Hobbit-fied nickname for Teregion only seemed very likely, particularly if he and his father have been visiting regularly. And this is a promise that will hold them until it's deemed safe. And at least this chapter finally got written and posted! Heh!

SurgicalSteel	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
I love the architectural detail. Just wonderful! Y'know, I'm a bit of a medical history geek, and I find I have lots of fun researching whether a treatment might have been available and how it might work and finding sketches either in my books or on the web of old surgical instruments. I'm guessing if we're at all similar that you adored doing the research. :) And oh, I'm looking forward to a wedding! Author Reply: My mother introduced me to archaeology at a very young age, and I've even managed to take a class in the subject, which was very interesting. One time when we were in England I sneaked into a dig along Hadrian's Wall and examined it before being chased out of it (I swear I touched nothing--I knew THAT much!), after which I examined the diagrams of the fortress and mentally compared it to the fortress of Ebaracum over which York Minster was built. As one of my favorite historical writers is Rosemary Sutcliff, the entire subject is full of interest for me. (There is even, deep under York Minster, the remains of a Bronze Age round houseplace, the idea of which considering my love of Sutcliff's "Warrior Scarlet" fascinates me, although if you visit the cathedral today they no longer make mention of it when you go through the Undercroft.) The watchtower is somewhat similar to Clifford's Motte in York, and the description of the walkway Teregion walks around is similar to the walls of the city. York has to be absolutely my favorite place to visit, although driving in and around it is almost as big a nightmare as driving in London itself, I think. The description of what can be seen from the hill is mostly based on the smaller Roman fortresses one can find along the Wall, although it is also loosely based on the Hall in Hertford where for a time Bloody Mary banished her half-sister Elizabeth, I suppose. I've been an Anglophile ever since I first read Sutcliff and Tey, I think.

Dreamflower	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
What fun you must have had, figuring out all the archeological details of the ruins within which the smial was being built! Having been to a couple of ruined castles now, I can say you truly painted an accurate picture--I could just imagine it all! Did you draw out plans for it or make sketches? Did you base it on any RL ruins? grin And I am looking forward to a wedding! Author Reply: I love archaeology and British history, and have been fascinated with two periods in particular--Roman-Era Britain and the Wars of the Roses. When we had the antique shop we had the perfect excuse for visiting Britain annually, and I've driven all over from Edinburgh to Portsmouth (even the Isle of Jersey where we went purposefully to see the Jersey Trust Zoo) and from Lands End to Canterbury. I've been through the manor in Hertford where for a time young Elizabeth Tudor was banished while her sister Mary held the throne; I've walked Hadrian's Wall and visited Bosworth Field; I adore York and have walked extensively physically through the city during visits and in my imagination reading the Owen Archer stories; I've climbed George and Richard's towers at Warwick Castle and visited Windsor Castle just before the internment of the Queen Mum; during the restoration of York Minster we visited it and were able to walk across the digs as they examined prior levels of occupation; I've been allowed to enter Stonehenge with my husband, who was blind, and touch the stones, and have been on the Yeoman's Tour of the White Tower.... I've even been chased out of a dig of a smaller fortress along the Wall! I love aerial photography of archaeological sites. No, I didn't do sketches--just loosely based it on a Roman fortress in Britain, rather overlaid with the manor in Hertford. As for the wedding--it will come.

Theresa Greenfalcon	Reviewed Chapter: 31 on 1/18/2008
I love your other stories - but this is the one that caught my eye FIRST on this site, and it introduced me to so many others! Love the new chapter, and the archaeological turn to the building of the Hedges' smial! T Author Reply: Thank you so much, Theresa! I've always loved archaeology, which was introduced to me by my mother; and I remembering standing over an archaeological site along Hadrian's Wall in England, looking down into the dig to see how the walls were laid out; and looking at aerial shots of ancient fortresses and how what seems haphazard at ground level comes together as you look down at it and see how the straight lines go together. To imagine the Hobbits and Men together on the hill looking down and noting the patterns to an ancient complex just seemed so likely. Am so glad this interested you. The assault ramps are based on the one built by the Roman forces as they worked to enter the hilltop fortress of Masada in Israel.

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